Tile pobk



TILE: FORK Filed Sept. 10, 192e Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL C. WENTE, 0F WAVERLY, IOWA.

TILE

Application led September This invention relates to certain noveliinprovements in tile forks and has for its principal object theprovision of an improved construction of this character which will behighly efficient in use and economical in manufacture.

Among the several objects of the inven tion is the provision of a tilefork which may be expeditiously handled for the removal of cell typetiles from a pile of tiles or from a tile wall to be wrecked.

Heretofore it has been the ordinary cusn tom for the workmen to lift thetile or remove the tile from the tile wall or fitted place as a part ofthe tile wall construction by the use of the hands. The disadvantageresulting in this method resulted in the workmen bruising their handsand vincurring considerable loss in labor. By the use ot' my improvedtile fork it will be hereinafter understood that the workman can operateon the tile without touching the same with his hands and the tile forkbeing easy to handle abolishes excessive loss of labor.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingldrawing showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3MB ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawing l. illustrate the preferred form ofconstruction as comprising a shank 10 carrying at one end portion ahandle 11. This handle 11 may be of any approved construction whichincludes a sleeve 12 secured to the shank 1() through the medium of apin 13. The opposite end portion 14 of the shank 10 has secured on thebottom side 15 thereof a bracket 16 defining a bearing sleeve 17.Secured to the opposite side 18 of the shank at the end portion 14 is aplate 19, said plate and said bracket being connected to the shank 1()by a bolt 20. The plate 19 defines an extended portion 21 which extendsbeyond the side l5 of the FORK.

1U, 1926. Serial No. 134,747.

shank 10 and forwardly of the end portion 14 andthis extended portion 21defines an opening 22.

A gripping finger 23 is defined by a wire member which is bentsubstantially U-shaped as best shown in Fig. 1. The limb portions 24 ofthe wire member are looped to define bearings 25 disposed oppositelywith respect to each other and inwardly of the bight portion 26 of thisgripping finger. The bight portion 26 is received by the bearing sleeve17 for pivotal. movement. Carried by the limb portions 24 and havingopposite end portions 27 received in the bearings 25 is a pintle 28.This pintle 28 loosely carries a sleeve 29 connected by solder or thelike to a loop 32 formed intermediate the end por- '7 tions of agripping finger 31. This crripping finger 31 is disposed between thelimb portions 24. The end portion 33 of the grpping linger 31 is bentback upon itself through the opening 22 to define a hook 22. f

A hand gripping` wire 34 is defined by a wire which is bentsubstantially U-shaped with its end portions 35 looped around the pintle28 between the sleeve 29 and the bearings 25.

In use the operator firmly grasps the handle 11 with one hand and firmlyholds the hand gripping wire 34 in his other hand. He now pulls the handgripping wire ina direction to pivot the gripping linger 24 about itsconnection with the bearing sleeve 17. As this gripping` finger pivotsin this direction the extended portion 21 bears down upon the end,portion of the gripping fin ger 31 and pivots this gripliiing finger andthe sleeve 29 about the pintle 28 thereby dis posing the gripping fingerin an upward spaced position with respect to the limb portions 24. Thefork in this position is now placed into engagement with the tile, withthe wall portion of the tile disposed above the limb portions 24 andbeneath the gripping finger 31. A hand gripping wire 34 is now releasedand the operator now lifts the shank 10 upwardly to cause the grippingfingers 24 and 31 to clamp aga-inst the wall portion of the tile. Thisclamping acn tion takes place by reason of the fact that when 'thehandle is lifted upwardly the weight of the tile will pivot the grippingfingers 24 in its sleeve 17 and the greater fl t) the weight of the tilethe tighter the clamping relation between the gripping finger becomes.

From t-he above description it is manifest that I provide a tile forkwhich can beV eripeditiously operated and which will be highly efficientin the art.

Vhile I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification, without departing from the spirit oftheinvention. i, therefore, do not wish' to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth,v but desire :i to' avail myself ofsuchy vari ations andv modifications ascome within the scope of theappended claims.

The invention having been set forth, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A tile fork comprising a shank, a gripping finger, pivotallyconnected to the shank, a second gripping .finger cooperating with thefirstv mentioned gripping finger for clamping a tile between said firstmentioned gripping finger and said second mentioned grippingl finger,means pivotally connecting the secondmentioned gripping finger to thefirst mentioned gripping finger, and means operatively connecting saidsecond mentioned gripping finger to said shank whereby when said shan-kis supported in the ha-nd's of an operator the grippingfingers will becaused to move toward each other into clamping relation with respect tothe article disposed between the gripping fingers.

2. A tile fork comprisingl a shank, aV bracket associated with` theshank at one end thereof and defining a bearing sleeve, a grippingfinger formed from af wire niember bent substantially U shaped andhaving its bighti portion pivotally associated with the bearing sieeve,a pintle carried by the clamping finger forwardly of the bight portion,a gripping finger pivotally connected tothe first mentioned grippingfinger by said pintle, said second mentioned gripping finger defining anextended portionv having an end portion bent tov define a hook, and amember associated`-with said end portion of the' shank and defining anextended portion provided with an'opening for the-passage of sa-id'end'portion of the second mentioned gripping finger.

3i A- tilefork-comprising a shank,a bracket associated with the shank atone end thereof and defining a bearing sleeve, a gripping finger formedfrom a wire member bent substantially U shaped and having its bightportion pivotally associated with the bearing" sleeve, a pintle carriedby the clamping finger forwardly of the bight portion, a gripping fingerpivot-ally connected to the first mentioned gripping finger by saidpintle, said second mentioned gripping linger defining an extended'portion having an end portion bent to define a. hook, and a memberassociated with said end* portion of the shank and defining an extendedportion provided' with an opening for the passage of said end portion ofthe second mentioned gripping finger, and a hand gripping member havingropposite end portions curled around said pintle, said hand grippingmember being adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator to pivotthe first mentioned gripping finger relative to t-he second mentionedgripping finger to dispose the gripping fingers inv position forreceiving the wail portion of a tile to be lifted by said tile fork.

if. A tile fork comprising a shank, a bracket associated with the shankat one end thereof and defining `a bearing sleeve, a gripping fingerlformed from a wire member bent substantially U shaped and having its bight portion pivotally associated with the bearing sleeve, a pintlevvcarried by the clamping finger forwardly of the big-ht portion', agripping finger pivotally connected to the first mentioned grippingfinger by saidV pintle, said second mentioned gripping finger definingan extended portion having an end portion bent todefine a hook, and amember associatedv with said end portion of the shank and defining anextended portion provided with an opening for the passage of said endportion of the second mentioned gripping linger, and a hand grippingineinber bent substantially U-shaped having opposite end portionscurled. around Caid pintle, said: hand gripping member bein@- adaptedto'be graspedl by the hand of the opeiator to pivot the first' mentionedgripping finger rela-tive to the second mentioned' gripping finger todispose the gripping `ingeis in position for receiving thev wail portionof a tile to be lifted by saidtile fork.

In testimony whereof I afnmy signature.

EMIL C. VENTE;

